wah

last day of the month. i am forced to blog from my phone because blogger has decided to hate me.

tomorrow we are off to minneapolis for more family time. a whirlwind tour of duluth and rochester. we will see grandmothers, mothers, fathers, brothers, sister-in-laws, nephews, sisters, niece and more! we are bringing presents like we didn't just see everyone over the holidays. it will be like christmas in july!

i wish we could celebrate holidays every month. i really get behind this gift-giving thing.

it will be nice to get away from this 109 degree weather*.

80 degrees is much more civilized.

* note: yesterday the bf said, "this is the start of just ten weeks of summer." i want this in writing. and i want you all to bear witness. because the bf is a blatant liar.

gross

today i am thankful that we are not judged by our passport photos.

amen.

tropical

such a lovely day.

the bf and i started out earlier than we do on most sundays.

we went to einstein brothers to grab a quick bagel breakfast, then we headed to biltmore for some shopping.

brooks brothers. three dress shirts for the bf. one dress shirt for the bf's bro. one sports shirt in awesome red and blue for the bf's nephew. and one tie for the bf.

the bf doesn't shop often, but when he does, he goes all out.

the tie was my special friend (i have a thing for ties):



adorable, right? so summery and tropical-like. perfect for his friend's wedding in puerto rico, no?

i must find a dress to match.

clean

sigh.

yesterday was such a sad day that i kept trying to think of something to write. rest in peace, michael jackson and farrah fawcett.

instead, i stared at the blinking cursor.

my girlfriends are going through tough times right now.

it's rough out there.

hearts are being broken. and i wish i could fix them all.

i've been fielding a lot of phone calls and emails lately. i don't claim to have all the answers, but i do believe that if i listen long enough, the answers tend to appear. a moment of clarity. the good thing about being friends with such strong women is that they usually trust what they feel deep down.

i stick to the idea that you are the only one who knows where your breaking point is. your own dealbreaker(s). where you draw the line. no one else can tell you when you have had enough. i think everyone's capacity and limitations are defined by themselves. your truth is yours alone.

i know my friends will be fine. that we will get through this and other difficult times together. that the end, sometimes leads to bigger and better beginnings.

high

i have been listening to this song on repeat for the past two weeks.

you, you bring out the best in me
and you, you bring out the best in me
and i can't tell you how you do what you do to me, oh but you
you treat me how you'd like to be treated
and you make sure you're the last to be seated
and i can't tell you where you get your passion
but you amaze me

it is exactly how i feel about the bf. and i smile whenever i think of it.

today i told a friend that being with the bf is like running to the top of a mountain and screaming at the top of my lungs.

being just us is pure exhilaration.

i am exactly where i want to be.

just you and me.

spahh

the bf's sister is staying with us for a few days.

it has been quite a while since we've had the opportunity to catch up, and what with the bf at work all day, we've had time to reconnect. she is a joy of a girl::i have enjoyed her company.

yesterday we went to my favorite spa for a cocoa-mint foot scrub. this relaxing treatment was quickly followed by a lunch of bLts and macaroni and cheese.

we hit fashion square mall for some shopping.

dinner was a salad and pasta ponza. a nice and relaxing dinner in. bro and sis went out for cold stone ice cream for dessert.

the problem started when we let the bf pick the movie. stepbrothers. ugh. stupid funny but we shall never see those two hours again.

i love hosting::i am officially extending an invite to all (four of) my readers! mwah.

awe

my time with the 'rents was absolutely amazing.

sometimes i forget how utterly cool my parents can be, and i take them for granted.

i had a lovely evening with s and e, toasting to the future and noshing on empanades.

then i drove my parents and my aunt through through a messy rainstorm and an even messier freeway to rochester.

so tired. and good to be home.

wednesday we took a day for gardening and planting. hitting nurseries with the fam is fun and i couldn't get enough of my dad saying "mooch" instead of "mulch." hilarious and so cute!

we also went to the mall and my parents let me pick out a purse (read: they had credit a discount) - i felt like cinderella and picked a totally impractical yet fabulous lavendar bag. delicious!

thursday was a day for mankato and seeing j and a. dinner at pho saigon with noodle dishes and yummy egg rolls.

early friday we made it back to msp for a quick flight back to arizona.

i already miss them.

relish

off to msp for three days.

tonight i get to have dinner with s, who is taking the big leap and moving to madison with her bf.

sigh. so romantic. i cannot wait to see her.

the rest of the time i will be hanging out with the fam, being carted (note: too cheap and lazy to rent a car) around to rochester and mankato. joy.

i don't relish the idea.

my aunt is visiting from massachusetts, and i feel somewhat obligated to see her while she's in town. even if i just want to be home in arizona. not that i have big plans.

i'm a little tired of flying.

grey

mondays are difficult for me.

i pop out of bed at 8a, ready to face the day.

and suddenly, just like that, i start to fade.

my mind glosses over on mondays. i wonder what it takes to make a meaningful life.

i know working is not the same as meaning.

but it has something to do with purpose.

and that's what i'm missing.

jazz

we hosted happy hour last night.

friends over for some tuscan mushrooms, sun-dried tomato kebabs and limoncello coolers.*

then we hit the desert botanical gardens for some jazz.

it was lovely to be outside, listening to good music, talking and laughing with great friends.

so gorgeous here at 9pm.

planted saguaros on the papago mountains. lit up a mossy green against a navy blue night. music that made you want to tap your feet and sway a little.

i couldn't stop grinning.

*i act like giada de laurentiis is my bff - we often chat about recipes (in my mind).

prenup

i was having a conversation with s the other day.

the usual: relationships, love, marriage.

she asked me if the bf had ever brought up the topic of a prenup, and if i would sign it.

the thought never even crossed my mind. i know it's common now, i just assumed i wouldn't have to deal with one.

the bf and i joke about how when we get married all this will be yours. in my case, it means he will get all my stuff and very little cash.

when i got home, i asked him if he had ever thought about it, thinking the answer would be no.

but i was wrong.

do you ever really know the ones you love?

i know guys think practically and girls think emotionally. but it still kind of hurt. it's that whole "it's just a piece of paper" kind of thing, kind of like a marriage license.

and it's double-sided.

fern

i found another dress:



doesn't it have an i'm-going-to-a-wedding-in-puerto-rico feel to it?!

september, baby!

squeal.

southampton

what a fabulous weekend.

first i flew out to msp for one night - had a lovely dinner with my girl n. there is nothing like good (correction: great) girl talk. that girl gets me and i get her because we are so very similar (only i've got a couple of years on her).

then a quick catch-up and heart-to-heart with e before we hit the sack.

flying out to long island was not fun. a stop and delay in philadelphia makes for a grumpy sophie. a car service that cost $200 and another 45 minutes made for a semi-ballistic sophie.

but then i walked in j + j's hampton house and had a glass of rosé.

and all was right in the world. again.

a long weekend if rain and sun (and more sun!) followed. pesto pasta, burgers, bagels, chicken. hummus, strawberries. lobster. steak. mmm. we are totally spoiled in the hamptons and i love it.

the price i have to pay? relentless hounding by a, a 5.5 year-old bright shining star of a girl. sophie sophie sophie!

and so i play.

such a small price. grin.

trap

sigh. someone get me out of here.

i really try to find things that i like in phoenix.

but it's hard.

we have great friends. some nice wine bars. the bf and i have nested together. i know i should be thankful.

i have some really, really bad days.

like today.

i feel like i'm trapped in some 100-degree oven with no doors (literally and figuratively).

and there's no way out.

sigh.

spin

wow. last month wasn't very productive for me.

i am starting this month with new goals.

the beginning of a month always has me thinking positively and more optimisticaly about the future.

and not just in a ten-day weather forecast kind of way.

i visit astrologyzone every month and find myself dazzled by the possibilities.

promises of new moons and touring planets.

i'm going to make good this month.